In this article we discuss the life of one of the most important women in our history: Eleanor Roosevelt, a key figure in many of the most important events of the last century and of humanity.
Roosevelt was a diplomat and human rights activist and one of the most influential people of the 20th century.
- Niece of President Theodore Roosevelt and wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
- She held a privileged position as first lady of the United States.
This position has been the platform from which she has provided institutional support on issues as important as social justice, women’s liberation and universal human rights.
While the women who preceded her in this position were limited to the president’s wife status, Eleanor Roosevelt managed to make the position of first lady a position of responsibility for the government and its citizens.
And it went much further, because her work as a United Nations delegate has left a very important legacy for the world.
Eleanor was born in New York City to an American high society family. However, it is said that he did not have a happy childhood; orphaned at a young age.
She was sent to study at a selective London school where she was apparently helped by a magnificent teacher who soon managed to turn her into a strong and charismatic young woman.
Returning to the United States, she had a relationship with a promising distant cousin of the future, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whom she married in 1905, soon after moving to Albany, when her husband was elected senator, had six children, one of whom died at a very young age.
Despite all her family obligations, Eleanor became interested in politics and participating in various organizations, supporting the Women’s Union, the Union Women’s League and the Women’s Division of the Democratic Party.
He ran a furniture factory and had literature and history in a high school. During World War I, he joined the Red Cross.
In 1933 her great ascent took place: her husband was elected president of the United States. A 12-year term, during which Eleanor Roosevelt acted like no first lady had done before.
At a time when women were of little importance in public life, Eleanor gave more than 300 lectures to female journalists and participated in political events for women’s rights, especially African-American women.
“A woman is like a tea bag, do you ever know how strong she is until you’re in hot water?. – Eleanor Roosevelt”
She promoted the civil rights of the most disadvantaged, wrote in newspapers, edited a women’s magazine and published four books. During World War II, he took over civil defense issues.
During the war, she even publicly opposed one of her husband’s decisions as president of the United States regarding the arrest of thousands of Japanese on the West Coast.
After her husband’s death, far from turning away from public life, Eleanor took on a new facet of her political activity when Truman hired her as a delegate to the United Nations Assembly.
He assisted in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document considered the Great International Magna Carta, whose influence appears in the constitutions of many nations and protects the rights of men and women around the world.
President Truman called her “The First Lady of the World. “John F. Kennedy considered her the archetype of american women. A legacy that inspired many of his successors.
Roosevelt opened the field of politics to women and eventually died on April 23, 1962 in the city where she was born, at the age of 78.
“Big minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds argue about people. “- Eleanor Roosevelt-
Never before has a woman had the public and political relevance she had acquired. Eleanor remains an inspiration to many women inside and outside her country. All those fighting for the rights of women and minorities recognize that Eleanor has greatly improved the dignity of all human beings. Beings.
His favorite phrase, “It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness,” defines his character and strength. In the end, Eleanor lit a flame in each of us that no one else can turn off.